Counting Down to August

Candidate qualifying for the primary and general elections ended at noon on Friday, June 14. Although my team and I are ecstatic that we survived the week, we know it is just the beginning of a long road that ends with the General Election in November.

Qualifying week is the unofficial start of the August 20 Primary Election. Once the candidates have been certified by the Division of Elections, the hard work of building the ballot begins. After that, the pace accelerates dramatically. 

We anticipate giving out a few hundred-thousand "I Voted" stickers during the August 20 Primary Election and the November 5 General Election.

With the ballots created, the next step is to mail UOCAVA (Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act) ballots to our military and overseas voters. That is quickly followed by the mailing of domestic vote-by-mail ballots to voters who have requested them. Then, it’s nine days of in-person early voting at six sites throughout the county. In between, tens of thousands of sample ballots are mailed, poll workers are trained and voting equipment is tested—and then tested again.

Before you know it, it’s election day.

All of this takes place over the course of just a few months. And then we do it all over again for November. So, if you are looking for more than a quick overview of the process, head over to SarasotaVotes.gov for a list of dates, deadlines and requirements for the August 20 Primary Election.

Building Our Team

It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone living in Sarasota County that staffing an August election can be a little more challenging. Many of our friends and neighbors are out of town this time of year. That's why we're asking for your help. If you know someone who might make a good poll worker, forward this email to them and invite them to join us in August. There's still time to get onboard, get trained and be ready!

More information can be found at the Poll Worker page of SarasotaVotes.gov.

SarasotaVotes.gov